Matt Forte hopes to start for Bears on Monday night

Matt Forte sounds confident he will start Monday night when the Chicago Bears play at Dallas.

The Pro Bowl running back from last season missed the Bears’ 23-6 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday with a sprained right ankle. He practiced on Wednesday, but it was a light session and he only participated in individual drills.

“I would hold off on … he has a long way to go still, but he is making progress,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “And hopefully we can get him out there.”

Forte did not practice at all last week so getting back on the field was the first step. He looked fluid moving and didn’t have heavy taping on his ankle.

The Bears tried to sign veteran Ryan Grant on Tuesday but he chose to join the Washington Redskins. Grant was viewed as someone who could add depth for the remainder of the season.

The key for the Bears is getting Forte back in action because he means so much to the running and passing games.

“It's real big, especially (for) me — I have missed a game,'' he said. “(But we need) to get in sync so we can help the defense out. The defense has been playing lights out. We need to put a lot of points on the board so that they at least can rest a little bit.''

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